Judge sentences woman to prison for false tax return

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced a northern Wisconsin woman to a year and a day in prison for filing a false tax return.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb sentenced 58-year-old Cornelia Mutter of St. Germain on Thursday. Mutter pleaded guilty in March to filing false information on a 2008 tax return.

Prosecutors say Mutter worked for Minocqua-based T.A. Solberg Co. Inc. between 2004 and 2010. During that span she used company checks to cover personal credit card bills, medical expenses and groceries. According to the IRS, Mutter embezzled more than $500,000.

T.A. Solberg didn’t pursue charges, but prosecutors allege Mutter never declared the money as income on her tax returns, including the 2008 return.

Mutter’s attorney, Erika Bierma, didn’t immediately respond to email and voicemail messages.